MARGAO
Disappointed with the reply received from the Union Ministry of Law & Justice to the Goa Government’s proposal to reserve seats for Scheduled Tribes of Goa in Legislative Assembly, a meeting of ‘Mission Political Reservation for Scheduled Tribes of Goa’ has resolved to boycott the forthcoming Lok Sabha election if the Central government does not issue a notification to reserve seats for Scheduled Tribes in Goa Assembly prior to the declaration of 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
While further resolving to organise boycott awareness meetings at every village panchayat level, the Mission has decided to hold the first meeting in Sanquelim constituency represented by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
After discussion and taking suggestions from all the ST leaders present for the meeting held in Margao, the Mission has further resolved to pass resolutions in ST dominated gram sabhas of village panchayats for political reservation to the Scheduled Tribes in Goa Assembly before 2024 parliamentary elections.
The meeting which was attended by all the 16 ST organisation representatives, elected representatives including sarpanch, panch members, ex-sarpanch, ex-panch, ex-Zilla Panchayat members, prominent members/ leaders of ST community, who are supporting this mission, was called to chalk out the future course of action.
Many members of community furiously spoke against the present State government for not taking the issue seriously and not following up the matter with the Central government.
They demanded to know why inspite of giving assurance on the floor of the House, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has not yet taken an all-party delegation to Centre to meet Minister for Law and Justice, Arjun Meghawal and Home Minister Amit Shah.
They lamented that the CM met the Home Minister Amit Shah & PM recently with North Goa MP Shripad Naik and Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Shet Tanawade, but the political reservation for STs of Goa was not discussed during this meeting, raised secretary of Mission, Rupesh Velip.
“We are asking for reservation from existing 40 Assembly constituencies which has not been implemented till date and this is the constitutional right enshrined to the Scheduled Tribes of Goa under the Constitution of India. We are not asking for readjustment of seats as provided under Article 82 of Constitution, but we are demanding for the reservation of seats under Article 330 and 332,” asserted attorney for Mission Political Reservation Ravindra Velip.
He added: “The Ministry of Law & Justice has miserably failed to understand the difference between the two. It is needless to say that as per 84th amendment to the Constitution of India, readjustment of seats to be done based on 1st census after year 2026 which is not applicable in our case.”
